A couple of weeks ago I was emailed by Brew Barrel and asked if I’d like to try out one of their brew kits. I’m generally open to trying new things, especially so when it comes to beer so I agreed to give it a go. I chose the style of beer I wanted and personalised it on their website and I had it delivered within the week. I went with a Pale Ale and decided to add some Mango.
The kit is, dare I say it, fool proof. If you can follow ten simple steps then you’ll be able to do it. You start by adding the malt extract.
You might need a funnel or a pretty steady hand to pour the water into the small opening, I had some help from Pinocchio!
Speaking of steady hands, you may need to wear oven gloves when giving the keg a good shake!
At the end you add the yeast, hop solution and whatever additional flavourings you may have chosen.
Seal it carefully and seven days later it’s ready to drink!
Now you just have to wait for your friends to call round, no one needed much persuasion!
Beer and snacks, what else would you be doing of a Tuesday evening?
It took us a few goes to get the pouring right, but we persevered and it was worth it in the end!
I found the Mango a little sweet myself but all of the ladies present, my wife (who’s more of a cider fan) included liked it!
So what’s the verdict? This isn’t going to convert the all grain brewers but I think it would make a great present for the beer drinker in your life, Christmas is coming, so get the order in fairly lively! If you’re thinking about starting to brew your own beer but are a bit intimidated by all of the equipment and everything that could go wrong then this is a safe bet for you. It’s twenty five pounds or about thirty euro for the kit but considering I saw a mini keg of Heineken in the local shop for twenty euro I suppose an extra tenner for a personalised beer isn’t bad at all. Give it a go, let me know how you get on. Sláinte!
http://www.brewbarrel.com/home/
Brew Barrel gave me this kit free but I think I have been fair and honest in what I have said.